TARRYTOWN - The Rangers are going to be down at least one more body to begin the 2024-25 season.

Veteran forward Jimmy Vesey will miss "a few weeks" due to a lower-body injury, according to head coach Peter Laviolette. He sustained it during Sunday's practice, when the 31-year-old crumbled to the ice in pain and then limped into the MSG Training Center locker room.

It's unclear if it was a non-contact injury or if a teammate's stick got caught in Vesey's skate and caused him to fall, but either way, the Blueshirts are left with voids on their fourth line and penalty kill.

"That's what training camp's about," Laviolette said following Monday's practice. "It's an opportunity for guys to step up. I do think some guys have had good camps, and that's the evaluation process. We're still going on. We've still got three (preseason) games left, and so those evaluations are still taking place."

The front-runner to fill Vesey's spot on the roster is Adam Edström, who's been a standout among the young forwards vying for an NHL chance. He was already pushing Matt Rempe for ice time, but now there's room for the Rangers to keep both of the towering rookies.

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They could build a fourth line with that pair flanking newly signed center Sam Carrick, although veteran Jonny Brodzinski is in the mix, as well.

All four very well could make the final cut, with one serving as a healthy scratch and extra forward. But it may depend on how they designate Vesey and injured defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who's also expected to miss a few weeks with an upper-body injury suffered during a fight with Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield on Tuesday.

Putting both on injured reserve would create room on the roster, but their salaries would still count against the cap. And if it's the case, the Rangers won't be able to afford carrying 13 other forwards and seven other defensemen. They'd have to cut back on one of those positions and go into the new season without an extra skater at that spot.

The other option is to place either Lindgren or Vesey (or both) on long-term injured reserve, which would allow them to exceed the $88 million salary cap ceiling but also require that player(s) to miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days.

Vesey has appeared in 161 of 164 possible games the last two seasons, combining for 51 points (24 goals and 27 assists) in that span with a plus-nine rating and 50.33% xGF, according to Natural Stat Trick. He's added a little scoring punch to the fourth line, but it's his defense and sound decision-making that have become his primary values to the team.

While the Rangers weigh how to fill those minutes, Edström, forward Brennan Othmann and defensemen Connor Mackey and Victor Mancini will be among the bubble players suiting up for Monday's 7 p.m. preseason contest in New Jersey against the Devils. Both lineups will be heavy on fringe NHLers and AHL types, with Jersey's regular lineup in Czechia for the NHL's Global Series and New York opting to hold out all of their mainstays.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Jimmy Vesey injury: How NY Rangers could replace the veteran forward